Rothenburg's town wall, four kilometres of wall walk above the rooftops.

What it is

Rothenburg's town wall surrounds the old town for about 4 km, with six main gates, several small gates for pedestrians and more than forty towers. It grew in stages: the first enclosure measured about 1,400 m; with the extension of 1204 it reached about 2,400 m, and with the inclusion of the Hospital quarter, at the beginning of the fourteenth century, about 3,360 m. The last work, the Spitaltor bastion, was finished in 1537.

For much of it you walk along the top, on the covered wall walk, between timber beams, with the red roofs on one side and the countryside on the other. You can walk it at any time and it is free. Along the way you will see stones with names and cities engraved: they are the donors who helped to rebuild the wall after the bombing of 31 March 1945, many of them American. The town still accepts donations with an engraved stone.

The tower trail

The Rothenburger Turmweg is the signposted route that follows the wall. It has panels at each tower and gate, and where the wall walk is interrupted, it continues along the street. The town estimates about 2 hours 30 minutes for the full route. The Turmweg leaflet, in German and English, is available from the tourist office at Marktplatz 2.

The towers you can climb

• Röderturm: 103 steps to the tower room, with an exhibition on the intermediate floors. Open from 11:00 to 14:00 at weekends and public holidays in April, May, September and October, and daily from June to August; in winter, depending on the weather (call ahead on +49 9861 9760636). When it is open, flags hang from the window. It costs €3 and €1.50 up to age 18, cash only.
• Town Hall tower: 220 steps above the Marktplatz, the highest view of the old town.

How to get there and park

By car, leave the car in the large car parks outside the wall (P1 to P5), signposted; in the core of the old town you cannot drive from 19:00 to 6:00, though you can reach hotels and businesses by car at any time. From any car park you enter through one of the gates, and from there climb to the wall walk.

When to go

All year. Early in the morning and in the late afternoon there are fewer people and the light comes in between the beams. In December, with the Reiterlesmarkt, the centre fills up: the wall walk is a good way to see it from above. In rain the covered wall walk protects you; in ice, be careful on the stairs up.

With children and pushchairs

Children like it a lot: they go along the top, peeping through the arrow slits. Keep an eye on small ones at the gaps. You cannot take a pushchair onto the wall walk, which has stairs and uneven ground; the Turmweg can also be followed outside, at street level.